Banksia spinulosa 'Schnapper Point', commonly known as the Koala Blooms Banksia, is a compact, low-growing evergreen shrub/tree native to eastern Australia. Originally discovered on a windblown point of land along the southern coast of New South Wales, this highly resilient cultivar was introduced to the United States in 2001 through a partnership between the U.C. Santa Cruz Arboretum and the Koala Blooms program. While typical wild variations of the species can shoot up to the height of a small tree, 'Schnapper Point' maintains a neat, manageable profile, making it a reliable accent plant for coastal, Mediterranean, and water-wise landscapes
- Size: Grows with a dense, rounded, and slightly prostrate habit, typically maturing to 2–4 feet tall and 4–5 feet wide.
- Foliage: Features narrow, needle-like green leaves with slightly serrated margins and striking silvery-gray undersides.
- Flowers: Produces large, cylindrical, hairbrush-like flower clusters in shades of honey-gold and creamy yellow, often contrasting beautifully with reddish-purple styles.
- Bloom Time: Provides valuable cool-season color, blooming abundantly from late summer and fall through winter when most other plants are dormant.
- Sun Exposure: Thrives in full sun to very light shade. It requires at least six hours of direct sunlight daily to maximize flower production.
- Soil & Drainage: Requires fast-draining soil; adapts well to sandy, gritty, lean, or rocky soils. Heavy clay soils that trap moisture must be avoided, as Banksias are highly susceptible to root rot diseases like Phytophthora.
- Water: Low to moderate. Once established, it is remarkably drought-tolerant.
- Fertilization: Avoid standard garden fertilizers. Banksias have specialized root systems that are highly sensitive to phosphorus. Use only a lean, slow-release native plant fertilizer explicitly formulated with low or zero phosphorus.
When I first saw the Banksia, I thought it was a conifer, but it is not..while its narrow, needle-like leaves look very similar to a pine or spruce tree, it belongs to an entirely different plant group.What it actually is, is a broadleaf evergreen flowering plant in the Protea family (Proteaceae). It reproduces by growing large flowers that are pollinated by birds and insects, as opposed to conifers, which reproduce via seed-bearing cones.
Since this specimen blooms in the fall-winter, it will be interesting to see when many, if not most of the trees are either asleep or "napping".
June 12, 2026
I de-potted him & removed prox. 50 - 60% of the potting mix with a chopstick, combed-out the roots as best I could & with a minimum of root pruning , fit him into a training pot.
Then I pruned the lowest branch that doubled the windage of this little tree & threw the perspective "out of whack". (the cutting is already rooting in water)
In this photo, you can see the scar on the lower trunk, where the branch used to be. I am impressed with the health & hardiness that is apparent, telling me that he is most-likely to become a permanent specimen in our collection.
July 9, 2026
According to the literature , this little tree will produce "blooms" in (our)Late summer through (our) Fall-Winter..coming from the southern hemisphere, his seasons are reversed. Below is a photo of the "flowers" the Banksia produces.
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| courtesy San Marcos Growers |